There would be no Whoopi Goldberg, no Madea, or even Tyler Perry for that matter, if it weren't for Moms Mabley. However, when faced with the question "Who is Moms Mabley?" most would have hard time answering. Goldberg's debut documentary, I Got Somethin' to Tell You, aims to provide that answer.

"She was the only female comedian for 40 years," Goldberg said of Mabley, who got her start on the chitlin' circuit vaudville and crossed over with albums and television appearances until her death in 1975. "She was the first and by herself. She was the first and only black woman rolling around America at that time. To have lost this history is a real shame." And keeping the memory of this influential woman alive was the impetus for the documentary. "Unless someone is talking about you, you're dead," she added.

The film discusses the Mabley's influence and legacy through recently unearthed photography, performance footage, and commentary from Bill Cosby, Arsenio Hall, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Joan Rivers, Eddie Murphy, and more. It made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival over the weekend. Goldberg discussed her movie, Mabley, and her influence at an American Express-sponsored Tribeca Talks conversation after another screening last night.

Making this movie became a real labor of love for Goldberg, who partially funded it through a Kickstarter campaign. "People said to me, 'You're Whoopi Goldberg—really?'" she recounted. "I asked for $65,000 because I needed it. Photo stills are $1,200 a piece. The Playboy footage (of Mabley singing her hit "Abraham, Martin and John") cost $60,000. God bless Hugh Hefner. Little did I know what this entailed—I was beat to heck."

Still, she is not beaten down. Goldberg has a documentary series on the drawing board—a 10-part series looking at black entertainment from the 1800s to now—and would love to write a play using Mabley's original material, playing the title role.

She provided the audience with a preview, telling a Mabley joke about two men, some dope, and a cuckoo clock, which had the theater rolling in laughter. "Funny is always funny, if you do it right."